Hyundai is slated to launch the new 1-litre three-cylinder petrol Kappa engine for the Indian market. This engine will debut in the next generation i10 model which is expected to be launched by September 2013. This new engine will be used in future products from Hyundai as well. Kappa engines are known for being more technologically advanced, being more refined and smooth and they offer better pick up and drive. Although it’s a light-weight engine, it produces higher torque and power. The initial prototypes of the engine will be ready by this year end and the same would undergo the initial batch runs in Korea.
The company has plans of manufacturing about 165,000 units of these engines every year which is indeed a long term plan. Initially the numbers will be small but as they scale up the production, depending on the demand the numbers can be expected to reach 200,000 units per year. This 1-litre Kappa engine will be manufactured at Hyundai’s Sriperumbudur facility at Chennai. A new set up has been installed for the production of this engine at the plant. The engine has been developed in Korea specifically for the Indian market.
The i10 till date did not have a diesel engine option. However the new model of i10 will also come with 1.1-litre diesel engine which happens to be the smallest engine in Hyundai’s portfolio. Currently, the portfolio consists of the 1.4 and 1.6-litre capacities. The i20 is powered by the 1.4-litre diesel engine. Hyundai currently has the 1.2-litre Kappa engine which powers the i10 and i20 platforms. In fact, the current i10 also comes with the 1.1-litre Epsilon engine. The new 1-litre variant will slowly phase out the old model. Santro uses the Epsilon engine and will continue to use till 2014 end after which it will be phased out too.
Source – Autocar Professional